As well known, a vehicular lamp usually comprises a housing having a light-emitting opening provided at the front of it, a lamp cover shaped like a plate or a lens which covers the light-emitting opening, and a light source disposed in a lamp room defined by the housing and the lamp cover. The inner wall of the housing is provided with a reflecting layer integrated with it, or else it is provided with an independent reflector. In such a vehicular lamp, when the light source is lit, the direct light from the light source, and the light reflected by the inner wall of the housing are emitted out of the lamp through the lamp cover, thus performing a desired lighting function.
In recent years, such a vehicular lamp has been required to have not only a lighting function in the lighting state, but also an improved appearance in the non-lighting state in the daytime. Decorative articles often adopted for improving an appearance of a vehicular lamp include a lamp garnish and finisher. These decorative articles are attached to the lamp cover (also called outer cover or the like) of a headlamp, a rear combination lamp, or the like so as to be out of the path of the light from the light source. These decorative articles have the same color as the color of a vehicle's body in many cases, which improves an appearance of a vehicular lamp by the sense of matching the vehicle. Further, these decorative articles can be manufactured in various kinds of thickness by an injection molding, vacuum forming, extrusion molding, or the like of resin, or coating of paint or the like, or the like, and are allowed to have an appearance design effect by using resin-coloring, painting, printing, plating, or the like. Such decorative articles are, in most cases, compressed and attached to a subject through a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer provided at the back of it.
However, the decorative articles as described above are used for improving an appearance of a vehicular lamp in a light environment in the daytime, and an improvement of an appearance like that in the daytime thus can not be expected in a light condition in the nighttime. Furthermore, conventional decorative articles are mainly used for concealing the external portion of a lamp in order to solve the problem that a marginal rib portion or black adhesive portion of the lamp is seen through the cover, but can not enhance the decorative effect together with the lamp itself.
For reference, in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3035801, it is disclosed that a light-transmittive/storage/emitting transfer seal is adhered to the inner surface of a headlamp of a vehicle to indicate the existence of the vehicle in a dark parking lot. Furthermore, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 11-11368, it is disclosed regarding a headlamp of a vehicle that a light-emitting element made of a light-storing material is disposed near the internal reflector of the headlamp and emits light while the vehicle is stopping to allow drivers and pedestrians around the vehicle to recognize the existence of the vehicle. However, these lamps are designed to improve only a visibility by utilizing emission after being turned off, but do not have any decorative effect when it is lit in the daytime, and are not designed to improve the appearance in the nighttime. Furthermore, in case of the former idea about a headlamp of a vehicle, transparency of portions at which the seal is adhered is slightly poor, thus causing the degradation of the appearance if anything while the lamp is not lit.